Re: Credit cards with airport lounge access?

Dustink wrote:

Looks like I just need to borrow a million dollars from somebody just so I can get a credit card with a reasonable annual fee....sounds like a logical plan :/

You should keep in mind that cards with airport lounges are targetted at affluent customers who aren't afraid of large AFs, or fly frequently for work and have many of their expenses reimbursed. If someone isn't in one of those categories, airport lounge cards may not be for them.

Re: Credit cards with airport lounge access?

CreditScholar wrote:

Dustink wrote:

Looks like I just need to borrow a million dollars from somebody just so I can get a credit card with a reasonable annual fee....sounds like a logical plan :/

You should keep in mind that cards with airport lounges are targetted at affluent customers who aren't afraid of large AFs, or fly frequently for work and have many of their expenses reimbursed. If someone isn't in one of those categories, airport lounge cards may not be for them.

No matter how much money I have, I will never want to spend it on an AF. I think the bank makes enough off merchant fee's and should not have to charge a customer an AF.

I used to fly a few times a month, but haven't been flying much recently. I am going to be spending more time in the terminals soon, so am keeping my eyes open. Most of my expenses are reimbursed by my clients. My father was in the military so I have just used the USO's, but in time that will end and I will need to use civilian lounges.

Re: Credit cards with airport lounge access?

Looks like I just need to borrow a million dollars from somebody just so I can get a credit card with a reasonable annual fee....sounds like a logical plan :/

You should keep in mind that cards with airport lounges are targetted at affluent customers who aren't afraid of large AFs, or fly frequently for work and have many of their expenses reimbursed. If someone isn't in one of those categories, airport lounge cards may not be for them.

No matter how much money I have, I will never want to spend it on an AF. I think the bank makes enough off merchant fee's and should not have to charge a customer an AF.

I used to fly a few times a month, but haven't been flying much recently. I am going to be spending more time in the terminals soon, so am keeping my eyes open. Most of my expenses are reimbursed by my clients. My father was in the military so I have just used the USO's, but in time that will end and I will need to use civilian lounges.

Want and need are two very different things, and in this case you'll be hard-pressed to find lounge access with no AF. Without annual fees, better benefits would strictly be limited by minimum spending thresholds because interchange fees is the only other way they can really make money. Someone generating that much in interchange fees through heavy usage will likely fall into one of those two categories anyways.

Re: Credit cards with airport lounge access?

Looks like I just need to borrow a million dollars from somebody just so I can get a credit card with a reasonable annual fee....sounds like a logical plan :/

You should keep in mind that cards with airport lounges are targetted at affluent customers who aren't afraid of large AFs, or fly frequently for work and have many of their expenses reimbursed. If someone isn't in one of those categories, airport lounge cards may not be for them.

No matter how much money I have, I will never want to spend it on an AF. I think the bank makes enough off merchant fee's and should not have to charge a customer an AF.

I used to fly a few times a month, but haven't been flying much recently. I am going to be spending more time in the terminals soon, so am keeping my eyes open. Most of my expenses are reimbursed by my clients. My father was in the military so I have just used the USO's, but in time that will end and I will need to use civilian lounges.

Re: Credit cards with airport lounge access?

People always want something for nothing...

Yup, and banks always want customers.

As with your gold card, what does that $175 annual fee get you? It seems like a waste of money to me. I think my Flexperks card offers better rewards and no annual fee after $24k in purchases per year.

I just want to make a smart choice, and get a card that I will keep forever. Not just flush money down the drain on pointless AF's. Yeah sure, the AF on the plat card may have some value, but I don't know if it will be worth it to me in a few years. So, I would prefer to have a card that I can keep even if my spending and travel habits fluctuate.

Re: Credit cards with airport lounge access?

Dustink, why are you acting as though the bank keeps the AF on lounge access cards? You do understand that a majority of that annual fee gets passed through to the airline right? It's not as though Chase gets to keep $350.00 of the $395.00 AF for the United Club Card.

Re: Credit cards with airport lounge access?

Voodard wrote:

Dustink, why are you acting as though the bank keeps the AF on lounge access cards? You do understand that a majority of that annual fee gets passed through to the airline right? It's not as though Chase gets to keep $350.00 of the $395.00 AF for the United Club Card.

I understand that Chase has to pay for their customer to have lounge access. Although, your numbers may actually be close to reality. If they are buying club memberships in huge quantities, their prices go way down. They also have some customers paying fee's and interest to offset the banks costs. Or about $15,000 in spending would offset that AF in interchange fee's. So yes, Chase on average probably does keep that much of the AF. Actually they probably keep the AF and then some. Last quarter they made a record $5.3 billion dollars. I think they could afford to lower the AF and still profit just fine.

Are you so supportive of AF's in an effort to justify them for yourself? I am just trying to see what cards offer the best benefits.This involves finding banks that are the most willing to absorb costs to earn more customers.

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IMPORTANT INFORMATION: All FICO® Score products made available on myFICO.com include a FICO® Score 8, along with additional FICO® Score versions. Your lender or insurer may use a different FICO® Score than the versions you receive from myFICO, or another type of credit score altogether. Learn more

FICO, myFICO, Score Watch, The score lenders use, and The Score That Matters are trademarks or registered trademarks of Fair Isaac Corporation. Equifax Credit Report is a trademark of Equifax, Inc. and its affiliated companies. Many factors affect your FICO Score and the interest rates you may receive. Fair Isaac is not a credit repair organization as defined under federal or state law, including the Credit Repair Organizations Act. Fair Isaac does not provide "credit repair" services or advice or assistance regarding "rebuilding" or "improving" your credit record, credit history or credit rating. FTC's website on credit.